Vikki Slade MP helps secures emergency funding boost for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Vikki Slade MP has successfully supported Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service in securing vital emergency funding following last summer’s severe fires, which cost the service hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Working closely with the service, Vikki backed and supported its application for Bellwin emergency funding to help cover the unexpected costs.

“Securing fair funding for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service remains a top priority for me,” said Vikki. “After the severe fires last summer placed huge financial strain on the service, it was essential that we worked together to secure emergency support. I’m pleased that the application was successful.”

However, Vikki has made clear that emergency funding after major incidents is not a sustainable long-term solution. With increasingly hot summers and rising wildfire risks, Vikki believes core government funding must better reflect the seasonal pressures facing the service.

“Our firefighters do an outstanding and often lifesaving job,” she said. “But they cannot be expected to do more and more with stretched resources. Funding formulas must recognise the reality of climate pressures.”

As part of her ongoing campaign for fairer funding, Vikki has recently signed two Early Day Motions in Parliament, one led by the Liberal Democrats and one a cross party motion led by a Labour backbencher, both calling for greater investment in fire and rescue services.

She added: “Public safety should never be a partisan issue. I will work with colleagues across party lines to ensure Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has the sustainable funding it needs to keep our communities safe.”

The service has recently announced that eight fire stations are at risk of closure due to ongoing budget pressures. Vikki has pledged to continue pressing Ministers to secure a fair, long-term funding settlement that protects fire stations across Dorset and Wiltshire and keeps communities safe.